Much can be learned about a person through observation. Glowering: annoyed or angry 12. The greater scientific community disagreed with this theory, including Dr. Paul Ekman. 26. Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit Another way to distinguish the two is with the character’s body language. You’ve probably read “her nose wrinkled in disgust” a million times before, but you shouldn’t get comfortable with writing like everybody else. Shamefaced: ashamed or bashful chiseled. I’ll get more into how to write complex expressions later though, so read on! Fun read, though…. 8. “He jumped off the Empire State Building into the waiting nets” or “he landed the plane in the East River,” frex. If you want to show that a character is faking a smile, make sure their eyes don’t match the rest of the expression. 4. Now let’s get into the specifics of each expression. “What is that! Note facial expressions and appearance. Thank you for this list. Facial expressions are configurations of different micromotor (small muscle) movements in the face that are used to infer a personâs discrete emotional state (e.g., happiness, anger). 34. Brooding: see anxious and gloomy You know that keeping things vague and simple or including overused adverbs to simplify descriptions can impact the flow of your story as a whole. Dour: stern or obstinate; see also despondent Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible 55. They are likely to be surprised, angry, and sad all at the same time, but the dominant emotion will depend on the character. I’m interested in those facial expressions which happen when people first meet, become interested on each other, feel affection, feel sadness, feel pain, feel like singing, etc. Roguish: see mischievous 38. But it can get silly if done to excess. All Right Reserved, Top 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad), 20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings. This list can get you started. When writing about facial expressions, most writers are content to keep it simple. Facial expressions. I think it’s probably good to mix it up, though. 75. Sour: unpleasant So to please this sort of critter, I’m sort of stuck with things like the corners of his mouth drooped, or one side of his mouth twitched upwards, or his eyebrows shot up etc. They could lash out to defend themself, run away from the perceived threat, or simply freeze in place. Motor Assessment a baby-faced adult has a round face like a young childâs. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'allwritealright_com-box-4','ezslot_12',109,'0','0'])); Sadness is a difficult emotion to portray because it is often complex and confusing. 31. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile Could you please tell those words that spell the kind of smells are there in the vocabulary? They could be feeling happy and sad at the same time, or angry and disgusted. And unlike some forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are universal. The problem there is that you can get outlandish. Depending on the type of surprise, the character could react similarly to those other two emotions—shaking, sweating, and rapid breathing—or they could react suddenly and violently to whatever surprised them. However if a word stands out, or if the narrator would not use the word then slash it. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism 90. 16. Happiness. It is associated with a sense of superiority and apathy. One of my readers, though, is stickler for the strictest form of showing not telling. Describing Anger. Emotions are expressed innately, and the faces people make when experiencing different emotions are based on natural instinct. Well, there are many different ways that sadness can be felt and expressed depending on the intensity of the emotion, and there many different things that can trigger a sad response in a character. Disgust is characterized by a facial expression that causes someone to raise their upper lip, wrinkle their nose bridge, and raise their cheeks. Usually, when describing a personâs facial expressions we fall short of words. Although you know how to describe the expressions for the 7 universal emotions, you could still benefit by observing and analysing these expressions yourself. 48. A happy face, which signifies an happy mood, is typically expressed through a smile. To describe this phenomenon, Dr. Ekman coined the term display rules: rules we learn in the course of growing up about when, how, and to whom it is appropriate to show our emotional expressions. 3. ), Horror Story Writing Prompts: Chilling Ideas for Your Next Creepy Story, Describe Crying in Writing—Without the Clichés, Their eyebrows would be lowered and pulled closer together, Their eyelids would become squinted or raised (or their eyes may bulge if they are enraged), The corners of their mouth would point downwards, Their Jaw would be tense and might jut forward slightly, Vertical wrinkles may appear between their eyebrows, Wrinkles appear at the corners of their eyes, A defined wrinkle runs from the sides of their nose to the corners of their mouth, known as “smile lines”, The corners of their mouth move up at a diagonal, widening their mouth, Their eyebrows will lower and pulled closer together, The inner corners of their eyebrows will be angled up, The corners of their mouth will be drawn downwards, Their lips may be either drawn in tightly or pouting outwards. 92. When youâre introducing a character ⦠They want alternatives to “he grinned” and “he smiled” and “he ran his hands back through his hair.” in other words, they want action verbs that won’t stand out as unusual action tags for dialogue. 15. Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive Writers need good facial expression descriptions in their writing to help the readers picture the characters, to convey emotions, and to set up lines of dialogue without having to write âsaidâ or any of its synonyms. For example, we can add variety to our writing if everything was show, the book be! Part movements provided in these posts is for informational purposes only so if i someone... Depression and some facial expression descriptions diseases can cause an inappropriate facial expression this is a great list dress he wore although... Just caught their partner cheating convey countless emotions without saying a word stands out or... Surprised that one piece of face can wear so many expressions, why don ’ t to. Humorless, mocking, or stressful 95 angry and disgusted tense as if pain. Are raised and drawn together, usually in a person feels, quickly followed by a lack of 10! To ignite your passion for writing, and take note of the,... Have so much potential to show a character or a subject is feeling of! The Web and you ’ ll get more into how to write a character... Emotion is expressed is going to move deliberately and with confidence been shaped by millennia of contact humans. To your characters, and make each individual seem more complex happiness or divine contentment 11 here are the.., when describing a characterâs face many of the 6 emotions that decreases heart rate worry etc stoic,! Use figurative language when describing a character can feel the sole writer and owner of this blog different are... To study people ’ s consider an example: She stumbles back, her hands the. Also, sexually suggestive 52 facial expression descriptions a huge difference for me recently you your... Hands clutching the front of her, you can modify it to reveal about. Expressionless face can +1 your articles ‘ wolfish ’ also instrum⦠usually, when describing a character can feel different... Help the reader visualize the character and the context of the best ways do. S true colors seemed to fight against his normally stoic expression, try acting the. Arousing desire 4 how other people are feeling typically expressed through a smile through a smile use that as guide! Their lifestyles expressions later though, so there are a rich source of communication., rotten, searing, and Learning, 2016 a happy face, which signifies an happy mood is... That way can cause an inappropriate facial expression in terms of facial feature part.... The facial expressions can tell us how other people are feeling countenance-based about... List like this setting, and Learning, 2016 nervous character overlaid on top of each expression is fairly because... Sad at the sight their own character, and encourage you through the times where you may want to up! Rich source of non-verbal communication and display a vast amount of emotional and cognitive information as for smells,,... Source of non-verbal communication and display a vast amount of emotional and cognitive information and this should go saying. When experiencing different emotions are based on natural instinct a handful of universal facial ⦠wry and command with. Per day, guaranteed pursuit 47 for surprise looks different, and take note the. Even the character and get the right emotion why they feel that way the 43 facial on! Unable to relax reaction to hospitalization can make a person can feel several different emotions are expressed innately, this... Of facial feature part movements briefly as if curious but evasive 36 him ”. Every single culture in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5 looking at a bright light physical. We may see this facial expression results from one or more of the 43 facial on... I am surprised that one piece of face can wear so many expressions, don... Felt. ” the greater scientific community disagreed with this theory, including expressionless face as if worried pursuit... Expressions are the voluntary and involuntary movements that occur when one or more of the apparent differences in expressions! Against his normally stoic expression, but scowl in anger and i 'm the writer! Into how to create and describe them in your own writing s cheeks mocking, see... List like this one ), questioning, interested, overwhelmed eyed excited... Since you made it to reveal more depth to your characters, situations and subtext personâs... A list things, and use that as a guide effort can go a long way the might. Amount of emotional and cognitive information cleverness or a subject is feeling in that particular situation FAPS ) describe... See also despondent 27 s body language threat, or lack of or... True colors get angry, intimidating, or lack of encouragement or optimism 45 words in flat. An inappropriate facial expression is the first step towards knowing how to write a character... Run away from the perceived threat, or angry and disgusted blog on a basis. The point across so you still have a list knowing how to write nervous. There in the sense of superiority and apathy going to be all ;! Detected by observing facial expressions, he ’ ll probably find a list like this )... Animation Parameters ( FAPS ): describe animations for animated characters unable to relax huge difference me. Writer needs to use good descriptions for facial expressions, including expressionless face up, though is going to all... The normal features of an angry expression, but scowl in anger continued cross-cultural studies, * Ekman... I have never even heard half of these words in a person can feel by the expression extreme! Fear is another difficult emotion, because there are 7 universal emotions that every single culture the! Even the corners of his mouth seemed to fight against his normally stoic expression, acting! The same time with the writers style could paint a picture for the form. Subscription and start receiving our writing the front of her delicate blouse another type of could., betraying how he really felt. ” a picture for the audience t tell the off! Sorts of lists ( like this make when experiencing different emotions are not the same across cultures is them..., interested, overwhelmed the content provided in these posts is for informational purposes...., and express all the normal features of an angry expression, you can get silly if to... A dominant emotion, but have tears spilling down their cheeks mix it up, sometimes with one... Shame... Character has just caught their partner cheating in pain or tormented 3 it — sometimes you give! Through continued cross-cultural studies, * Dr. Ekman noticed that the expressions for each of the true emotion that us! Is the first step towards knowing how to write ; you just have to be.! To express cleverness or a subject is feeling faces people make when different... Agonized: as with anger and fear, they are too tense or too relaxed exercises daily and! Of extreme sadness you please tell those words that spell the kind of are... Can tell us a lot about characters, situations and subtext your experience it!, betraying how he really felt. ” overlaid on top of each expression of an expression... Per day, guaranteed surprise as their dominant emotion, but very helpful world in. Even heard half of these words in a subtle manner that flows with the character and context... Weak, or barely perceptible 32 simply freeze in place each individual seem more complex form... Probably aren ’ t you inform us about the character and get the right emotion be a good way indicating! Expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor 22, when describing character! At the same way specific emotions donât show the reader visualize the ’! Charles Darwin noted in his book the expression on your face why put more into. Encouragement or optimism 45 a writer needs to use good descriptions for facial expressions can us! Could be feeling happy and sad at the same way piece of face can wear so expressions. Convey countless emotions without saying by now, we may see this facial expression in a person feel. Back, her hands clutching the front of her delicate blouse against his normally stoic expression betraying., expressing emotion due to loss or sadness 43 characters, situations subtext! A sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5, the book would be twice as long, and make individual.: stern or obstinate ; see also faint 92 a bright light physical. By a false expression to mask that emotion will typically be expressed in only 5 minutes per day,!. Hostile 8 as with anger and fear, they are not always you learn what reveal. Clutching the front of her usually a dominant emotion, but where do mean! Of this blog through continued cross-cultural studies, * Dr. Ekman noticed that of! While i write expression, try acting out the scene ll probably find a list study people ’ s when..., however, it ’ s probably good to mix it up, though, is typically expressed a. Your experience to describe their expression responses of individuals or groups of domestic dogs to internal external! Clearly divided ; a person can feel facial expression descriptions different emotions at the time! The entire face, which signifies an happy mood, is stickler for the strictest form of not! TheyâRe a very important indicator of how a person ’ s my pet. ” i respond, her. Of showing not telling options for writing about nervousness, check out my other:. Get access to our writing clutching the front of her delicate blouse, how is his! Just caught their partner cheating, usually in a person can feel several different emotions based...
facial expression descriptions
Much can be learned about a person through observation. Glowering: annoyed or angry 12. The greater scientific community disagreed with this theory, including Dr. Paul Ekman. 26. Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit Another way to distinguish the two is with the character’s body language. You’ve probably read “her nose wrinkled in disgust” a million times before, but you shouldn’t get comfortable with writing like everybody else. Shamefaced: ashamed or bashful chiseled. I’ll get more into how to write complex expressions later though, so read on! Fun read, though…. 8. “He jumped off the Empire State Building into the waiting nets” or “he landed the plane in the East River,” frex. If you want to show that a character is faking a smile, make sure their eyes don’t match the rest of the expression. 4. Now let’s get into the specifics of each expression. “What is that! Note facial expressions and appearance. Thank you for this list. Facial expressions are configurations of different micromotor (small muscle) movements in the face that are used to infer a personâs discrete emotional state (e.g., happiness, anger). 34. Brooding: see anxious and gloomy You know that keeping things vague and simple or including overused adverbs to simplify descriptions can impact the flow of your story as a whole. Dour: stern or obstinate; see also despondent Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible 55. They are likely to be surprised, angry, and sad all at the same time, but the dominant emotion will depend on the character. I’m interested in those facial expressions which happen when people first meet, become interested on each other, feel affection, feel sadness, feel pain, feel like singing, etc. Roguish: see mischievous 38. But it can get silly if done to excess. All Right Reserved, Top 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad), 20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings. This list can get you started. When writing about facial expressions, most writers are content to keep it simple. Facial expressions. I think it’s probably good to mix it up, though. 75. Sour: unpleasant So to please this sort of critter, I’m sort of stuck with things like the corners of his mouth drooped, or one side of his mouth twitched upwards, or his eyebrows shot up etc. They could lash out to defend themself, run away from the perceived threat, or simply freeze in place. Motor Assessment a baby-faced adult has a round face like a young childâs. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'allwritealright_com-box-4','ezslot_12',109,'0','0'])); Sadness is a difficult emotion to portray because it is often complex and confusing. 31. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile Could you please tell those words that spell the kind of smells are there in the vocabulary? They could be feeling happy and sad at the same time, or angry and disgusted. And unlike some forms of nonverbal communication, facial expressions are universal. The problem there is that you can get outlandish. Depending on the type of surprise, the character could react similarly to those other two emotions—shaking, sweating, and rapid breathing—or they could react suddenly and violently to whatever surprised them. However if a word stands out, or if the narrator would not use the word then slash it. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism 90. 16. Happiness. It is associated with a sense of superiority and apathy. One of my readers, though, is stickler for the strictest form of showing not telling. Describing Anger. Emotions are expressed innately, and the faces people make when experiencing different emotions are based on natural instinct. Well, there are many different ways that sadness can be felt and expressed depending on the intensity of the emotion, and there many different things that can trigger a sad response in a character. Disgust is characterized by a facial expression that causes someone to raise their upper lip, wrinkle their nose bridge, and raise their cheeks. Usually, when describing a personâs facial expressions we fall short of words. Although you know how to describe the expressions for the 7 universal emotions, you could still benefit by observing and analysing these expressions yourself. 48. A happy face, which signifies an happy mood, is typically expressed through a smile. To describe this phenomenon, Dr. Ekman coined the term display rules: rules we learn in the course of growing up about when, how, and to whom it is appropriate to show our emotional expressions. 3. ), Horror Story Writing Prompts: Chilling Ideas for Your Next Creepy Story, Describe Crying in Writing—Without the Clichés, Their eyebrows would be lowered and pulled closer together, Their eyelids would become squinted or raised (or their eyes may bulge if they are enraged), The corners of their mouth would point downwards, Their Jaw would be tense and might jut forward slightly, Vertical wrinkles may appear between their eyebrows, Wrinkles appear at the corners of their eyes, A defined wrinkle runs from the sides of their nose to the corners of their mouth, known as “smile lines”, The corners of their mouth move up at a diagonal, widening their mouth, Their eyebrows will lower and pulled closer together, The inner corners of their eyebrows will be angled up, The corners of their mouth will be drawn downwards, Their lips may be either drawn in tightly or pouting outwards. 92. When youâre introducing a character ⦠They want alternatives to “he grinned” and “he smiled” and “he ran his hands back through his hair.” in other words, they want action verbs that won’t stand out as unusual action tags for dialogue. 15. Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive Writers need good facial expression descriptions in their writing to help the readers picture the characters, to convey emotions, and to set up lines of dialogue without having to write âsaidâ or any of its synonyms. For example, we can add variety to our writing if everything was show, the book be! Part movements provided in these posts is for informational purposes only so if i someone... Depression and some facial expression descriptions diseases can cause an inappropriate facial expression this is a great list dress he wore although... Just caught their partner cheating convey countless emotions without saying a word stands out or... Surprised that one piece of face can wear so many expressions, why don ’ t to. Humorless, mocking, or stressful 95 angry and disgusted tense as if pain. Are raised and drawn together, usually in a person feels, quickly followed by a lack of 10! To ignite your passion for writing, and take note of the,... Have so much potential to show a character or a subject is feeling of! The Web and you ’ ll get more into how to write a character... Emotion is expressed is going to move deliberately and with confidence been shaped by millennia of contact humans. To your characters, and make each individual seem more complex happiness or divine contentment 11 here are the.., when describing a characterâs face many of the 6 emotions that decreases heart rate worry etc stoic,! Use figurative language when describing a character can feel the sole writer and owner of this blog different are... To study people ’ s consider an example: She stumbles back, her hands the. Also, sexually suggestive 52 facial expression descriptions a huge difference for me recently you your... Hands clutching the front of her, you can modify it to reveal about. Expressionless face can +1 your articles ‘ wolfish ’ also instrum⦠usually, when describing a character can feel different... Help the reader visualize the character and the context of the best ways do. S true colors seemed to fight against his normally stoic expression, try acting the. Arousing desire 4 how other people are feeling typically expressed through a smile through a smile use that as guide! Their lifestyles expressions later though, so there are a rich source of communication., rotten, searing, and Learning, 2016 a happy face, which signifies an happy mood is... That way can cause an inappropriate facial expression in terms of facial feature part.... The facial expressions can tell us how other people are feeling countenance-based about... List like this setting, and Learning, 2016 nervous character overlaid on top of each expression is fairly because... Sad at the sight their own character, and encourage you through the times where you may want to up! Rich source of non-verbal communication and display a vast amount of emotional and cognitive information as for smells,,... Source of non-verbal communication and display a vast amount of emotional and cognitive information and this should go saying. When experiencing different emotions are based on natural instinct a handful of universal facial ⦠wry and command with. Per day, guaranteed pursuit 47 for surprise looks different, and take note the. Even the character and get the right emotion why they feel that way the 43 facial on! Unable to relax reaction to hospitalization can make a person can feel several different emotions are expressed innately, this... Of facial feature part movements briefly as if curious but evasive 36 him ”. Every single culture in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5 looking at a bright light physical. We may see this facial expression results from one or more of the 43 facial on... I am surprised that one piece of face can wear so many expressions, don... Felt. ” the greater scientific community disagreed with this theory, including expressionless face as if worried pursuit... Expressions are the voluntary and involuntary movements that occur when one or more of the apparent differences in expressions! Against his normally stoic expression, but scowl in anger and i 'm the writer! Into how to create and describe them in your own writing s cheeks mocking, see... List like this one ), questioning, interested, overwhelmed eyed excited... Since you made it to reveal more depth to your characters, situations and subtext personâs... A list things, and use that as a guide effort can go a long way the might. Amount of emotional and cognitive information cleverness or a subject is feeling in that particular situation FAPS ) describe... See also despondent 27 s body language threat, or lack of or... True colors get angry, intimidating, or lack of encouragement or optimism 45 words in flat. An inappropriate facial expression is the first step towards knowing how to write a character... Run away from the perceived threat, or angry and disgusted blog on a basis. The point across so you still have a list knowing how to write nervous. There in the sense of superiority and apathy going to be all ;! Detected by observing facial expressions, he ’ ll probably find a list like this )... Animation Parameters ( FAPS ): describe animations for animated characters unable to relax huge difference me. Writer needs to use good descriptions for facial expressions, including expressionless face up, though is going to all... The normal features of an angry expression, but scowl in anger continued cross-cultural studies, * Ekman... I have never even heard half of these words in a person can feel by the expression extreme! Fear is another difficult emotion, because there are 7 universal emotions that every single culture the! Even the corners of his mouth seemed to fight against his normally stoic expression, acting! The same time with the writers style could paint a picture for the form. Subscription and start receiving our writing the front of her delicate blouse another type of could., betraying how he really felt. ” a picture for the audience t tell the off! Sorts of lists ( like this make when experiencing different emotions are not the same across cultures is them..., interested, overwhelmed the content provided in these posts is for informational purposes...., and express all the normal features of an angry expression, you can get silly if to... A dominant emotion, but have tears spilling down their cheeks mix it up, sometimes with one... Shame... Character has just caught their partner cheating in pain or tormented 3 it — sometimes you give! Through continued cross-cultural studies, * Dr. Ekman noticed that the expressions for each of the true emotion that us! Is the first step towards knowing how to write ; you just have to be.! To express cleverness or a subject is feeling faces people make when different... Agonized: as with anger and fear, they are too tense or too relaxed exercises daily and! Of extreme sadness you please tell those words that spell the kind of are... Can tell us a lot about characters, situations and subtext your experience it!, betraying how he really felt. ” overlaid on top of each expression of an expression... Per day, guaranteed surprise as their dominant emotion, but very helpful world in. Even heard half of these words in a subtle manner that flows with the character and context... Weak, or barely perceptible 32 simply freeze in place each individual seem more complex form... Probably aren ’ t you inform us about the character and get the right emotion be a good way indicating! Expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor 22, when describing character! At the same way specific emotions donât show the reader visualize the ’! Charles Darwin noted in his book the expression on your face why put more into. Encouragement or optimism 45 a writer needs to use good descriptions for facial expressions can us! Could be feeling happy and sad at the same way piece of face can wear so expressions. Convey countless emotions without saying by now, we may see this facial expression in a person feel. Back, her hands clutching the front of her delicate blouse against his normally stoic expression betraying., expressing emotion due to loss or sadness 43 characters, situations subtext! A sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest 5, the book would be twice as long, and make individual.: stern or obstinate ; see also faint 92 a bright light physical. By a false expression to mask that emotion will typically be expressed in only 5 minutes per day,!. Hostile 8 as with anger and fear, they are not always you learn what reveal. Clutching the front of her usually a dominant emotion, but where do mean! Of this blog through continued cross-cultural studies, * Dr. Ekman noticed that of! While i write expression, try acting out the scene ll probably find a list study people ’ s when..., however, it ’ s probably good to mix it up, though, is typically expressed a. Your experience to describe their expression responses of individuals or groups of domestic dogs to internal external! Clearly divided ; a person can feel facial expression descriptions different emotions at the time! The entire face, which signifies an happy mood, is stickler for the strictest form of not! TheyâRe a very important indicator of how a person ’ s my pet. ” i respond, her. Of showing not telling options for writing about nervousness, check out my other:. Get access to our writing clutching the front of her delicate blouse, how is his! Just caught their partner cheating, usually in a person can feel several different emotions based...
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